8 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • AUGUST 2020
IN THE NEWS
WEB BRIEFS LI AT A GLANCE
UBS WINS ISLES’ ARENA NAME
Union Bank of Switzerland, better known as UBS, has
secured a 20-year arena naming partnership with the
New York Islanders for the NHL club’s new arena at
Belmont Park set to open for the 2021-22 season.
UBS is the world’s largest wealth manager and is involved
in almost all major financial activities ranging
from retail and commercial banking to investment
banking, investment management, and wealth
management.
“UBS Arena will stand as a beacon of strength, resilience,
achievement, and community, and we
look forward to celebrating this milestone
with our loyal fans,” Islanders co-owner
Jon Ledecky said in a statement.
The $1.5 billion state-of-the-art
arena provides the Islanders
with a first-class home for the first
time since the very beginning of the
organization’s existence back in 1972.
- Joe Pantorno
DRUG-DEALING COP NABBED
A New York City police officer was arrested Tuesday
for allegedly abusing his police powers to further
his role in a West Islip-based narcotics trafficking
scheme, Suffolk County authorities said.
NYPD Officer Joseph Recca, 28, of West Islip, and
two other individuals suspected of involvement
were arraigned Wednesday at First District Court in
Central Islip. Recca pleaded not guilty to charges of
conspiracy, criminal sale of a controlled substance,
criminal possession, and official misconduct. He was
released without bail.
“It’s a sad day when, after being involved in law
enforcement and public service for 30 years, I find
myself sitting in the arraignment of a police officer,”
said Judge James Saladino, who was released without
bail and a GPS monitoring anklet.
Prosecutors said besides drug dealing, Recca also
used his position as an NYPD officer to run license
plate checks on surveillance vehicles placed to investigate
his conduct. If found guilty, he faces up to 25
years in prison.
- Dana Chiueh
LI’S NEW TOP FEDERAL PROSECUTOR
U.S. Attorney General William Barr on July 10
named Seth DuCharme, a prosecutor who has risen
rapidly in the Justice Department under the Trump
administration, as acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern
District of New York.
DuCharme, who for the last six months has been
principal associate deputy attorney general in Washington,
is swapping roles with Richard Donoghue, the
current U.S. Attorney for the Brooklyn-based Eastern
District.
The Justice Department earlier this month
announced Donoghue’s move to Washington.
The Eastern
District includes the
counties of Brooklyn, Queens,
Staten Island, Nassau and Suffolk.
- Reuters
FREEPORT CHARGES DROPPED
Charges were dropped on July 7 against a Black man
in a viral video showing Freeport village police officers
punching him while taking him into custody in
December.
A Nassau County judge dismissed charges of resisting
arrest and assault against Akbar Rogers, 45, although
he still faces charges in a warrant that led to his arrest.
Nassau prosecutors also declined to prosecute the
officers involved, but suggested the Freeport Police
Department conduct a disciplinary review of the
arrest.
“While an independent expert found the level of force
used to be justified by law and policy, Mr. Rogers did
not attempt to harm the police and the officer’s injury
that formed the basis of the second-degree assault
charge was not intentional,” Nassau County District
Attorney Madeline Singas said. “While there was
probable cause to charge Mr. Rogers with resisting
arrest because he dropped between two fences while
running from officers, I have concluded based on the
totality of the circumstances these charges should not
be pursued.”
When police tried to arrest Rogers at his home on
December 3, he ran away through several backyards
before officers captured him, officials said at the time.
The video shows multiple officers punching Rogers
and using a stun gun on him during a struggle.
- Timothy Bolger
LI QUESTIONS IN BOUNTY PROBE
The family of a U.S. Marine from Locust Valley who
was killed in Afghanistan last year is demanding answers
in an investigation into reports that the Russian
military may have paid a bounty to the Taliban for the
roadside bombing.
Cpl. Robert A. Hendriks, 25, was among
three U.S. Marines who were killed in
the truck bombing near Kabul
in April 2019. The Associated
Press reported that U.S. intelligence
agencies are investigating
the attack and others last year to
see if Russians paid bounties for them.
“The parties who are responsible should be held accountable,
if that’s even possible,” Hendriks’ mother,
Felicia Arculeo, of Freeport, told CNBC.
President Donald Trump has been under pressure
since The New York Times reported that a Russian
military intelligence unit offered such bounties, and
a later report that he received a written briefing on
the matter in February.
-TB
NASSAU EYES CHISHOLM BUILDING
A Nassau County lawmaker has proposed renaming
a county building in honor of the country’s first Black
congresswoman, Shirley Chisholm.
Nassau Legislator Josh Lafazan (D-Syosset) introduced
the resolution on July 20 that would designate the
county building at 240 Old Country Road in Mineola
as the “Shirley Chisholm Building.” Lafazan said he
decided to introduce the bill because the current
moment “calls for action,” he said noting that despite
the county’s 121-year existence, no major county government
buildings are currently named after a Black
historical figure.
“When you drive through the county seat, the names
we put on our buildings send a message about that
county’s government,” Lafazan told the Press. “And I
think having choices of what names are on a building
sends a really important message from Nassau’s government
that all of our citizens belong here.”
The proposal comes amid a national reckoning around
systemic racism that has also played out on Long Island
and beyond through protests since late May.
-Alec Rich
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